Debt market

The amount outstanding of euro-denominated short-term debt securities issued by euro area residents totalled around 13% of GDP at the end of 2012, showing a decline compared with the end of 2011. While the outstanding amount of short-term debt securities issued by non-financial corporations in 2012 remained broadly stable, it declined for MFIs. The outstanding amount of short-term debt issued by the public sector decreased slightly in 2012 compared to the previous year.

Long-term debt securities accounted for around 142% of GDP at the end of 2012. In this market, the public sector is the most important issuer, followed by the MFI sector and the other issuers of the private sector.

Equity market

Turning to the equity market, a commonly used indicator of its importance is the market capitalisation of stocks traded in terms of GDP. This indicator, albeit affected by movements in stock prices, shows that the equity market is less important than the debt securities market in the euro area.

Stock market capitalisation in the euro area, the United States and Japan